Can You Win Poker Only by Knowing its Basics?

Poker is an exciting game but winning it just by knowing the basics is not that easy. However, you can increase your chances of winning by learning Poker basics and essential skills by reading poker strategy articles at mypokercoaching or enroling with a training site.

Poker has evolved from a simple card game into a battle of brains. In the initial days, Poker was significantly less demanding, and anyone could easily win if they played it properly, but today Poker has become a real mind game.

Only those players who have enough knowledge about the strategy and follow the basics have a fighting chance.

In poker games, Bluffing is considered the essential part of the game. In simple words, bluffing is a technique of playing an inferior hand in such a manner that your opponent does not know about it and thinks that they are actually better than you. Bluffing is a potent tool in a poker game and can help you win if used correctly.

Although bluffing is an essential part of Poker, it should be done in specific stages of the game, which are described below.

Early-stage:- This is the starting stage of the Poker game. In this stage, you try to make a pot by betting money with your weaker hands.

Middle stage:- This is the crucial stage of a poker tournament in which you have to be very careful while playing your cards, and you have to evaluate risk and reward before making any move because most of the time, players get trapped here.

Bluffing in this stage of the game is much more complicated than the early stage because here, you need to make a perfect balance between your chances of winning and the amount of money in the pot.

Tips: From this stage onwards, you should be ready to bluff others and check how much it costs for you if you lose.

Late-stage:- This is actually the end of the poker game. Here many players get trapped because they keep thinking how much they need to bet for bluffing others but ignore that if their bluff gets failed, it will cost them a lot.

Tips: At this stage, you should be ready with your final cards and bluffs in your arsenal. You will come in a situation when you have to use either of them to outwit your opponents.

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The 5 Things To Win at Poker Consistently

Knowing what cards you are going to play

Once you know what cards will be in your hand, you can start thinking about how and when they'll be played. There are times to be competitive and play cautiously. There are also times to be passive and times to raise or bet aggressively. If you're prepared for your opponents before you enter a hand, then the chances are good that once the cards hit your hand – it'll already be clear what to do.

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Disguising your holdings

It is just part of playing your cards well. If you're holding a solid poker hand strength but don't know when to raise; if you keep on calling instead of folding; if you keep calling with weak hands because your opponents are aggressive, then chances are your opponents will quickly sniff out the strength of your holdings and adjust their game accordingly.

There's a time to be aggressive and a time to play passively. There's a time to bet big and a time to check. Of course, some surprises can change the game suddenly; but this post focuses on solid bets working within the good Poker playing strategy framework.

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Finding the suitable game to play in

Not every game is as good as the next, and there are many variables to consider when figuring out which games to jump into. If you're getting into a low-limit table with tight beginners, then you can bet that those players will be conservatively playing back at you, which means they'll likely call your bets even if they are weak.

And if you're playing in a loose, wild game (like the average Friday night), then you can bet that everyone at the table is likely to be aggressive, which means every time you play a card, your opponents will come calling with their biggest bets.

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Making adjustments for your opponents

When playing with an understanding of how your opponents are likely to bet, you can plan for what might happen. If your opponents are playing tight and conservatively, they may never raise unless they have a monster hand. So if there's a big bet on the table and no one raises, chances are someone has an ace, king, queen….or at least a pair.
If your opponents are playing loose and complex, they will likely be betting big hands without hesitation. And if there's a bet on the table and no one raises, chances are someone is bluffing.

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Simplifying major decisions

The fewer decisions you have to make in a poker game, the better off you are. If your choices are limited to selecting which cards to play and when, and if everyone at the table is playing within the same guidelines (tight or loose), then you can simplify your decision-making considerably.
When there's a bet on the table, and you're holding some live cards (cards that may improve your hand), then you either call, raise, or fold.

However, if you're playing with an understanding of how your opponents are likely to react (conservative or aggressive), then chances are good. Many times, it will be evident whether or not to bet and which amount to bet. You can ignore the cards in your hand for a little while and focus on playing your opponents instead – this will give you a perfect idea of how to play.

Have any doubts? Mention them in the comment section below.